Charles Hay

Biography

In 2023 Charles completed his PhD exploring diagnostic delay in axial spondyloarthritis which utilised qualitative and quantitative methods.

Prior to that, Charles gained an undergraduate degree in English with History from Salford University (2007) and a masters in Archaeology from the University of Sheffield (2010).

He is currently studying the experiences of musculoskeletal (MSK) pain in children and young people (CYP) from the perspective of children and young people themselves as well as primary care HCPs and AHPs. Along with experiences of pain, this research also explores the management of CYP pain in and outside of primary healthcare and the information needs of CYP with MSK pain.

Charles’ involvement in primary care research began in 2016, with a research assistant role in the now School of Medicine at Keele University. In this role he was involved in the authorship and publication of several studies focusing on inflammatory arthritides, and facilitated problem-based-learning with year 1 and 2 medical students until 2022.

Prior to this, Charles practiced commercial and research archaeology around the UK for several years.

Research and scholarship

Charles' current research with the NIHR-funded CAM-Pain programme focuses on the experience of musculoskeletal pain in children and young people, and the management and information needs that come with it.

The perspectives of children and young people and their guardians, and primary care HCPs and AHPs are being addressed through qualitative study.

The results of this study will inform the design, testing and production of information resources to help pain management for CYP and to improve the use of primary healthcare.

Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) has played a large part in the design and undertaking of the CAM-Pain programme throughout, reflecting the importance of stakeholder inclusion in research and resource development.

Detail on the study and updates on its development can be found on Facebook, X, Threads and Instagram under the handle: @campainstudy.

Charles' PhD explored diagnostic delay in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), an auto-inflammatory condition with a long and often complex path to diagnosis. It comprised a systematic review presenting global levels of diagnostic delay in the disease, a qualitative study presenting patient and HCP perspectives on the barriers to and facilitators of diagnosis of axSpA and a case-control study showing possible associated prodromes to axSpA diagnosis. The systematic review has been published in Clinical Rheumatology in 2022 and the qualitative study was published in Rheumatology International in 2024.

Charles' previous research has covered mortality associated with allopurinol use in patients with gout and diagnostic delay in rheumatoid arthritis.